what "good" college did you attend but would not necessarily recommend to your kids or others?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Georgetown - Graduated in 1989. The school hasn't repaired, replaced or updated one single thing since I was there. Even the graffiti is still there. The same old broken stair railing too !!

They updated some rooms in White-Gravenor. there is tons of new construction since 1989. TONS!

But the old crap is still old and crappy. Yep a few rooms here, a sports field there. It's so very run down for the price. I literally noticed some of the exact same issues from 1989.

As someone who worked at Georgetown for a long time, I can say unequivocally that the campus is a dump. The school is notorious for under-investing in its physical plant. Sure, they put up new buildings once in a while (and have eradicated all green space except Healy Lawn in the process), but they don't maintain their facilities. Academic buildings and residences alike suffer from a myriad of plumbing, sewage, mold, and pest issues -- issues that only grow worse over time.

Yup, surprised nobody has shared this Instagram account yet. A good picture of what awaits the new Georgetown freshman. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKhM5sAJQ_/

Oh my god.

There are so many posts and sites like this about Georgetown. How crazy they are not to do a better job maintaining the place!! They charge enough tuition.

I went to a meeting there and was shocked at the state of the chairs and couches in community buildings. Legs broken off, so stained you could catch some disease by sitting on them. Really short-sighted!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore. Too small and way too much work. Also SJW.

Sorry to be the 4th person on here saying this, but I agree. I disliked it right away but wouldn’t transfer because it was so prestigious.

Too bad you put other people’s impressions over your own.

Are you always status-driven (ie seeking external validation vs making yourself happy)?

[Anonymous]

Duke. Bad people. Mediocre campus. Stain on my resume.

[Anonymous]

UVA. everyone thinks they’re high and mighty. Snobby and very uppity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at Texas's boom, Austin especially, and safe bet UT will soar up the rankings over the next 5 to 10 years. Texas is basically what Michigan was 75 years ago. Sad to say Michigan is a has-been. The Midwest is just bleak compared to the excitement, boom times, and warm weather in Texas. Michigan is also due for a football lull since their coach is about to go to the NFL. If and when the football team does poorly, they will get a big drop in apps.

UT Austin has an amazing MBA program.

[Anonymous]

Least honest thread on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I went to UVa and hated it. I don't want my own teen to go there because of my bad experience. It was just so snobby and unfriendly.

Yet UVA has the highest freshmen retention rate among public universities by far and a graduation rate that rivals the Ivies and other top privates. Somebody there must like it.

DP. Clearly, you do.

Well, my kids did at least. I liked the in state tuition. Jealous?

I
Your kids might be posting on this thread a few years from now... when they realize that while their parents were so happy to be paying UVA tuition and are able to brag about the prestige that the school was very imperfect in retrospect. They are just not going to complain to you right now. And even if they do, you'll respond with ranking and stats.

[Anonymous]

Both my spouse and I went to SLACs that have gotten more selective since then. Both are “meets needs” schools and at our income we won’t qualify for need based aid. But it’s still not worth it to send our kids to those and spend more than $80k a year. Just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA. everyone thinks they’re high and mighty. Snobby and very uppity.

Strange. My very down to earth DS had four great years that and I'm now friends with his friends. Not one of them fits this profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both my spouse and I went to SLACs that have gotten more selective since then. Both are “meets needs” schools and at our income we won’t qualify for need based aid. But it’s still not worth it to send our kids to those and spend more than $80k a year. Just not worth it.

Which SLACs ? (I think that the point of this thread is to name names in order to help out readers with school choice.)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:From these posts, it strikes me that a lot of Top 25 kids would be more comfortable at a Top 26-50 school. Basically, they could get a great education without the cut throat competition and sole focus on academics.

I think it's because times have changed and the parents know their kids can't get into the schools that their parents now say they wouldn't want their kids to go to anyway. A defense mechanism.

I was actually thinking the same thing.

There is a lot to this. The HYPMS and elite LACs are under 8% admits, and other T20 are under 15%, and our views could be partly a defense mechanism or living in reality.

Another way to look at it is that when many of us inevitably attended the most prestigious of our admits back in the day, we now know that prestige isn't always the best basis to go somewhere for four years. I posted about the competitiveness of my experience, and DH went to HYP where he had a great experience but he was an athlete so the experience would not be the same for DC, a non-athlete. I think some of the LACs are truly a better fit for our kids. And that is okay.

I went to a NESCAC school and had a great experience. A friend who went to Duke and another friend who went to Stanford, both said they wish they had gone to my school instead.

What a ridiculous post. Interesting that the poster targets two elite schools by name that the poster did NOT attend, yet refuses to name the NESCAC that he/she supposedly attended. Hard to believe that one would give up attending Stanford or Duke to attend any NESCAC school.

[Anonymous]

Michigan. Overcrowded and a shocking amount of narcotic use.

[Anonymous]

UCSD

I loved my time there, the best years of my life really. However, it’s such a large school with hundreds of kids in even upper division science courses, so it’s impersonal and I needed more hand-holding and guidance as first Gen college student.

[Anonymous]

I loved Vanderbilt in the 90’s, and it’s only gotten better. It’s one of the few schools that nicely balances a great education and social life. Highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Isolated, cold weather, rural LAC. Lots of wealthy students from Connecticut, Westchester County, Long Island, NY, and New Jersey. Too cliquey. Too much drinking.

Lack of diversity.

Beautiful campus. Lots of athletes.

The social options were too limited. Liberal arts courses and majors offered were not appealing to me.

I won't name the school because I was treated well by most & given a lot of respect by faculty & administrators. Others loved the experience, but I felt suffocated. I needed a larger, more diverse environment.